Thursday, October 14, 2010

Crabapple Butter

I have two big crabapple trees but usually by the time the weather gets cold I'm too tired to bother messing with them.

Then I saw this post on how to make crabapple butter and I knew what I was going to do with all those bright red little guys.  I picked three big buckets full of crabapples then rinsed them off and tossed them into the pot with a bit of water (don't worry about the stems or cores, you'll strain those out eventually).

After ten or so minutes of stirring them around in the boiling water until they start breaking up they're ready for the next step. I pushed them through a sieve with the back of a wooden spoon which produced a large bowl of pink crabapple mush (which you see sitting on my counter there).  A little sugar to taste, a little cinnamon for a kick and then I was ready to boil it down to its butter form. 

I boiled it and boiled it until my house smelled like heaven and I had a big pot of sweet-tart crabapple butter.  Not only is it good on toast but it's good on pancakes and as a filling for cinnamon rolls or pastries. 

In fact, you can use crabapple butter anywhere you'd like a boost of fruity sweetness (I particularly like it on top of my oatmeal) and I imagine they'd be great in these Sticky Apple Butter Biscuits.

If you want a bucket of your own you can have what's left on my trees.


13 comments:

Suzi Dow said...

Yummmmm! Makes me wish I had a crabapple tree but I haven't met a fruit butter I haven't liked. Try using your crockpot next time - super easy and I find I don't need to stand over it so much.

Shannon said...

Mmmm...Great minds think alike! I made a big batch of apple butter on Tuesday. No crab apples around here, so plain apples will have to do.

Anonymous said...

My mom always made crabapple jelly. Crabapples make the best jelly!

Annie-Savor This Moment said...

Oh, yeah, I wish I COULD get those crabapples! I grew up in Wisconsin, on a farm, and we had crabapple trees, too. My mom would can spiced, whole crabapples, and I could eat a whole jar myself. They were the perfect blend of sweet and spice. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Unfortunately, Missouri and California? Not big states for the little crabapple. Bummer.

Laurie Constantino said...

I'd just about decided to blow off the crabapples this year, but now you've made that impossible. Thanks for the inspiration/motivations!

jean said...

Are all crabapples edible? We have one on our front lawn (ugly tree by the way). But the previous owners told us not to eat them. I'm not sure if they were poisonous or just gross.

Anonymous said...

My eyes played tricks on me when I first read the title of this post. I thought it said "Crappable Butter!"

Alex said...

mmmmmm. Its great

dyuane said...

That sounds great. I going to have to try it. Fruit butter.mmmmmmm

jlynn said...

Wow, I've always wondered what to do with crab apples. Always seemed like waste to not do anything with them. Thank you so much for the recipe. Can't wait to try it out.

Susan Noone said...

We make large batches of apple butter every fall (for ourselves and as gifts.) I never heard of crab apple butter before but it sounds great. We'll have to give it a try this year!

Sonja said...

mmmm....I can smell them cooking on the stove. Almost.

Noreen said...

I'm sure that was wonderful! Sour apples are the best for cooking.